Associate Attorney Ashley Emerson grew up in Ashford, Connecticut, a town, she says, that “has more cows than people.” She first became interested in law during high school. “I had an amazing teacher,” she says. “He had this elective law class. It was so interesting, ethically and morally. Everything about it was fascinating. Before that I wanted to be a vet. But I realized you couldn’t just specialize in one type of animal, you had to be a vet for all animals. I didn’t want to deal with creepy animals like snakes and other things.” She went onto undergraduate studies at Wheaton College in Massachusetts. “I was looking for a school that was small and liberal arts,” she says. “I also wanted to be somewhere I could be really involved in campus life. It was a Division III School, so I could play volleyball and sing a cappella. Being a student was my first priority, of course, but I wanted to find a balance.”

During her junior year she studied abroad in Paris at Sweet Briar College, the oldest coeducational intercollegiate program in Paris. “It was the first time I really experienced other cultures,” she says. “France is an interesting mix. There’s a large Muslim community, for example. When I was in Paris, there was a lot of debate over immigration issues, and I remember one politician in particular whose stance was, ‘Don’t ever let any immigrants into France.’ That made me think, ‘I wonder what our immigration policy is like?’ When I got back I started to pay a little more attention.”

Although after college graduation she was offered a teaching position in France (“I would love to be a teacher,” she says), since she had already been accepted to New York Law School and could not defer enrollment, she went ahead with her legal education. She initially interned at Daryanani Law Group during law school, and upon obtaining her J.D. in May 2010, she was offered a position at the firm. “We were so impressed with her work and dedication to clients that we asked her to join the firm,” Managing Partner Protima Daryanani says. “It was an easy decision. Quite simply, Ashley is excellent at what she does. And having watched her develop from a law student into a practicing lawyer, I can say I would trust her with my own case. She is also excellent at initiating Pinkberry deliveries and shares my love of Pio Pio.”

“It makes anyone’s job so much better when you have good co-workers,” Ashley says.” As to the clients: “Some of my favorite clients include fine artists. I love seeing their work. They’re so creative. It’s great.” After moving around New York City quite a bit, as is normal for many New Yorkers, she just renewed her lease for her Hell’s Kitchen apartment, which she shares with her two cats. “It’s a nice walk to work,” she says. “And there’s an amazing Thai food restaurant nearby.”